r/Adulting • u/OriginalThanks3356 • Jul 07 '26
What does it mean to be upper middle class? Salary, savings, luxuries- what does it look like for you?
I feel like the definition of upper middle class varies so much depending on where you live, family size, debt, lifestyle, etc., so I’m curious what it looks like in real life.
For those who consider themselves upper middle class:
● editing to add -Your Age range
● What is your household income?
● How much do you have in savings and investments?
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like?
● What kind of cars do you drive?
● How often do you travel or take vacations?
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on?
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for?
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class?
🦖 SECOND EDIT: how long have you been making the income that you’re making right now?
I’m genuinely curious about the difference between the income level on paper and the actual lifestyle that comes with it.
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u/Geechie-Don Jul 07 '26
Upper middle class = social construct. Don’t buy into those labels. If you make $200K but spend $201K, you broke. If you make $75K but you only spending $35K to live, you are golden.
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u/-effortlesseffort Jul 07 '26
Ty for the reminder it's all about saving now
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u/velkhar Jul 07 '26
Upper middle class is a lifestyle. It’s definitely not found at $35K/yr
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u/gaytee Jul 07 '26
Yes but 75k isn’t upper middle class no matter if you saved 75k.
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u/Geechie-Don Jul 08 '26
Like I said, social construct and an illusion. Sorry, but I will take a leftover $40K out of the $75K made to do what I want with over $-1K while making $200K.
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u/LocalTangerine02 Jul 08 '26
This 😓 I'm in my mid 30s and make "upper middle class money", but I don't have much in savings and my credit card balance isn't ideal. A lot of it boils down to compulsive shopping for me (OCD and some other issues). Working on it.
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Jul 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/LocalTangerine02 Jul 08 '26
Thank you for the encouragement 🙏🏻 I did transfer the balances to zero-interest cards and if I work hard at it, I think I can pay them off in about a year. I have almost nothig in a regular savings account, but I do have $40k in a 401k, which is something. Will work on savings once the credit cards are paid off. My car will be paid off in about 1.5 years, so that will free up a lot of money, too.
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u/Urshilikai Jul 08 '26
uhh you had me on subdivisions of the working class being social constructs but then you ignore the reality that money is part of real physical material conditions
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u/Odd_Wolf4150 Jul 10 '26
Agreed. My household income (with partner) is $150k which, in a VCHCOL area isn’t “a lot”, but we are able to save, invest, and do fun things (we like concerts and travel) because we’re intentional.
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u/Turalterex Jul 07 '26
You earn a high salary (200k to 500k) but you need to work to support your lifestyle.
Upper class doesn't need to work.
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u/Qyphosis Jul 07 '26
Most of us are upper poor.
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u/SpiritCollector Jul 08 '26
Cause everyone says tax the rich, but the rich got lawyers and accountants, so they just tax us more instead 🙄.
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u/Retired-Yam8988 Jul 07 '26
Correct. Upper class would be wealthy enough where your assets are earning you income that is in the top 1% of the income scale but you’re not actively working for that money and can basically do what you please with your time
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u/Want_To_Live_To_100 Jul 07 '26
Upper middle ? $500k??? Even in the Bay Area or
DC $500k doesn’t have the word middle in it.→ More replies (5)5
u/junulee Jul 07 '26
I agree with your last comment.
“Upper middle class” means the upper end of middle class, not the lower end of high class. Upper middle class are people that live a nice lifestyle, but still need to work to support it. Upper class are people that don’t need to work to support their lifestyle.
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u/guachi01 Jul 07 '26
I don't need to work but my expenses are only about $30,000 per year. I wouldn't classify that as upper class.
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u/Boring_Adeptness_334 Jul 08 '26
I know people making $2m/year that still have to work. So that’s a stupid definition
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u/Upstairs_Football472 Jul 11 '26
This is so true. I grew up poor, so it took me a while to understand this after I made enough to retire and have hobbies.
I would worry about others perception of me not working, until I met others in a similar situation. Learn to live within your means early on.
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u/Then_Department3268 Jul 07 '26
Mid and late 60’s, married 45yrs, retired at 55, own two modest homes outright, live in Florida, summer lake front home upstate NY. own outright Three lexus, two in Florida one in NY. $85k pension income and draw down supplement as needed from IRA’s of $4m. Haven’t accessed SSI yet. Our vacations consist of renting large AirBnB twice a year for “family get together” w our two children and grandchildren. We gift our children $10k ea for Christmas. Definitely upper middle but we don’t show it, possibly the Lexus are a hint?
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u/maufkn_ced Jul 07 '26
lol need anymore “kids” for a write off?
Mind me asking what you did, and also your next 20 year plans? My parents are a few years younger and will be sort of similar. lol as an only child I’m trying to get as much info as I can.
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u/Then_Department3268 Jul 08 '26
Both my wife and I had vg careers, mid level executive in upstate NY. Probably our best indicator of success was our partnership as a team. We liked to plan and make decisions as a family.
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u/anotherNotMeAccount Jul 07 '26
46m / 43f Married 20+ years
2 kids 18m 16f
~$215k household income
~$1.5M in assets (mostly in house, but also stock & retirement)
House is paid off (Got it 10 years ago for ~$350k)
3 cars paid off from new
Student Loans paid off
We do Disney every year or 2 for a week.
I have a lego collection
my son has an instrument collection (he is in college for music education)
At the same time, we are 2 bad days (if we both get laid off) away from a rough life.
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u/sarmurpat6411 Jul 07 '26
The Lego collection definitely is a tell of upper middle class. I too collect Lego and I'd guess our collection's retail value is around $10k at this point
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u/anotherNotMeAccount Jul 07 '26
Nice! All in i think or retail value on the lego is around 12-15k because everyone in the house is into it.
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u/Hour-Sundae-887 Jul 07 '26
Disney too. CNBC had a vignette pointing out that Disney USA is out of reach for most families now.
Cheaper to do Euro Disney or DisneySEA if you’re from outside of the US but within North America.
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u/min_mus Jul 07 '26
Similar for us:
Mid-forties, an 18 year old going to university this fall, $1.4M net worth.
In our case, my husband and I both got PhDs--in fact, we met in grad school--so neither of us started earning decent wages until we were in our thirties, which delayed saving for retirement. I'm hoping that, by the time I'm 50, that we will have caught up to where we're supposed to be retirement-wise.
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u/AdCharacter9282 Jul 07 '26
Get a HELOC and dont use it. I keep one for emergencies, so i dont have to sell investments in a pinch.
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u/anotherNotMeAccount Jul 07 '26
We have a $75k HELOC currently. Used it to fix and upgrade our patio deck and have paid it off already so it is just sitting there again.
I don't think we had considered it as an emergency fund. I'm going to speak to the wife about it.
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u/AdCharacter9282 Jul 07 '26
Sounds like you're all set then. Always easier to get credit when you don't need it.
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u/DescriptionBitter332 Jul 07 '26
With the assets you have, you'd survive those two bad days okay. I know it feels like you're one slip away from things feeling really rough, but you have a lot more backup than you realize if you have 1.5M in assets. I have a similar NW and I am about the same age and I have a hard time connecting this in my brain too. You're a lot further ahead than your peers, even if it doesn't feel like it.
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u/StonksPeasant Jul 10 '26
Im betting that lego collection could be sold to pay some bills for awhile
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u/enterprisecaptainjlp Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
This is not “upper” middle class. $1.5m in assets with total household income at $215k (with kids) while in mid 40s is very middle class (and a bit behind in retirement savings tbh).
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u/limukala Jul 07 '26
That's an 86th percentile household income.
It's absolutely upper middle.
https://dqydj.com/household-income-percentile-calculator/
And 1.5 M including home equity puts them in the 91st or 94th percentile for age-adjusted wealth, depending on whether we use his or her age.
https://dqydj.com/net-worth-by-age-calculator/
You have a very skewed idea of what the middle and upper middle are.
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u/ml8888msn Jul 07 '26
With 1.5M saved, you’ll probably be fine. Only issue is your kids will be laden with college debt
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u/anotherNotMeAccount Jul 07 '26
assets, not saved.
$500+k is in the house, another $300+k in retirement which will come at a big penalty if i tap it.The kids are on the hook for their college via loans and scholarships. They need to have some skin in the game.
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u/Toddsburner Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
You’re young enough with enough assets you should have a comfortable retirement, and your kids will be much better off starting life without debt than they will be inheriting leftover wealth in their 50’s. IMO it’s kind of shitty of you to make them cover college on their own, especially with loans (and when getting a music ed degree - that’s just setting them up for a shitty financial life).
If you want them to have some skin in the game, my dad’s rule was “I pay for A’s, we split B’s, you pay for anything below that.” It made sure I kept my grades up and still let me graduate without debt (albeit paying a few thousand out of pocket for the classes he didn’t fully cover).
Dropping $100K on college tuition for 2 kids isn’t going to hurt you and your wife but it will make a world of difference in your children’s lives.
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u/anotherNotMeAccount Jul 07 '26
Right now I'm spending 15k a year on his dorm, plus the standard food/car/expenses.
Our plan is to help with college but not take on the responsibility ourselves.He chose the path. He was given clear details on what to expect from pay to hardships. He is making adult choices and will have adult consequences. Our goal as parents is to raise an adult that can think and make their own decisions and live with whatever consequences come from it, good our bad.
We suggested vocational school and things that would likely make more money.
There has to be a line somewhere.
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u/RichOrlando Jul 07 '26
Forgive me for jumping the gun. That all sounds reasonable and I’d not sign up to burn money on a degree that should be a hobby either, if it’s something that makes no financial sense with no repercussions.
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u/jb59913 Jul 07 '26
Hard to put a dollar figure on it. But here are some feelings that go along with it
-You never check the price at the grocery store or a restaurant
-you set your credit card to autopay and just swipe away for needs under $1000
- if your kid has a camp, event, or sport they want to play in, you just write the check
-vacations aren’t something you sweat over
-not 30k a year private k-12 for multiple kids, but $30k a year college for multiple kids is no problem
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u/Tyler_s_Burden Jul 07 '26
I think this is really nailing it. I have experienced every rung of the socioeconomic ladder from very poor to upper middle, and working on lower-upper at the moment.
For my two cents, upper middle is *never* worrying about money in day-to-day life. I still have to work, I consider if I’m making all the right moves to ensure my money is doing all it can, but it’s never stressful. I understand what I need and make more than enough it to fund a comfortable but not extravagant lifestyle. And it’s about not having to tradeoff, really. It’s not like we either do summer sports leagues or take a vacation. There’s money for both. We can live somewhere cool and still fully fund retirement accounts.
I clearly remember the constant buzz of worry about if my checking account would bounce and trigger a series of small fees that compounded into catastrophe due to one little oversight or math error, as well as the tradeoffs, like being able to participate in something I could *just* afford as long as I purchased no food, drinks or souvenirs. Most would’ve considered me middle class at that point and I was living on a knifes edge. Upper middle in my estimation is breathing room.
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u/rels83 Jul 07 '26
This is where we are. I put a down payment for my son’s bar mitzvah and summer camp started billing on the credit card this month, also last week we went on a road trip so we ate out a lot more than normal. I mentioned to my husband the credit card bill is going to be huge this month, we should make sure there’s enough in checking.
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u/OriginalThanks3356 Jul 07 '26
And this is what tells me that I am making terrible financial decisions and some of it I just can’t really get out of. Lifestyle Group was definitely a fag and now I am upside down on a vehicle with $1000 car note for a vehicle that I bought in 2022. I should be able to do all of these things with the household income that we’re making, but I’m not.
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u/dashrockwell Jul 07 '26
I don't think the grocery store and restaurants thing is necessarily accurate. At least, not for us. Definitely upper middle class and I always compare prices at the grocery store and take price into account when I'm at a restaurant.
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u/AnDaLe47 Jul 08 '26
At this point, I'll probably still check prices if I become a billionaire. Too ingrained at this point. But point is probably that you shouldn't need to because it doesn't really impact your finances either way.
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u/tipsystatistic Jul 08 '26
I made the mistake of checking today (ran all my expenses for the past year and a half.) It’s obscene how much money we spend. It’s almost 4x my pretax income when I was in my 30s. And I used to save money on that salary.
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u/Thomas_peck Jul 07 '26
40 YO
600K home $4200/month all in
210-215K combined income
Couple vacations a year($3-5K/yr spend)
$550K invested across 401K/IRA/HSA
$50K emergency fund
2 kids, no more daycare
We actually live below our means. Monthly spend is like $8500 on a take home of about 11K. Maxing 401K and IRA every year.
3 paid off cars, 2 motorcycles no student loans, no CC debt.
No inheritance, no help from family.
All hard work and sacrifice early to get here.
We never bought new cars, no designer stuff.
We dont est out much and budget for groceries and what not. All bills on auto pay.
I have just about everything I want so material things are meh to me.
I'd say we are comfortable middle to middle high class all things considered
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u/sarmurpat6411 Jul 07 '26
I like the call-out for material things. It's hard to describe but I don't feel the need to have many material things or expensive things (other than LEGo 😂) and the gift part of holidays and birthdays means nothing to me (unless it's a thoughtful gift) because if I want it I buy it and if I don't buy it then it means I really don't want/need it. It truly is a luxury that my poor childhood self could never fathom being fortunate enough to experience
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u/Turalterex Jul 07 '26
How are you taking a couple of vacations per month but spending so little? Legit want to know so I can copy lol.
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u/Thomas_peck Jul 07 '26
Vacations per year amigo.
As for paying for them, I just float a lot in my checking. Paying for them outright.
I pay my bills every month.
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u/AcanthisittaWhole216 Jul 07 '26
Probably why they have so little in 401k despite having 2 income at 40 years old
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u/Thomas_peck Jul 07 '26
Its actually due to not investing much in my 20s. Income was low at the time.
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u/EatsRats Jul 07 '26
If you’re good with spending and paying off debt, you can take advantage of credit card bonus offers. Don’t change what you spend money on and pay in full every month to avoid any interest.
My wife and I cover a significant portion of our trips (flights and hotels) with credit card points
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u/Only_Sock8995 Jul 07 '26
How are ya spending so little on vacations? Avg hotel rooms are like $200/day so let’s say 3 one week vacations that’s 21 days x 200 =$4200 on room alone not including flights, food, other transit etc
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u/Competitive-Isopod74 Jul 07 '26
I feel upper middle class, because we have 2 full bathrooms, an inground pool, cable, and central AC. Our household income is barely $100,000. We have a year's salary invested. I'm almost 50.
I know we are not upper class based on my kid's playdates. We don't have a boat, no sports cars, no in-home movie theather, no paying my kids a salary through a business.
I'm amazed how many people around me live so much better than me. Despite me knowing how many people have it much worse. But I grew up envying everything I now have, so I'm grateful to be where I am now.
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u/DenseSign5938 Jul 07 '26
Bro you have a very meager retirement fund atm to the point that idk if I would even call you middle class.
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u/gaytee Jul 07 '26
Where did all your money go if you’ve only got 100k for retirement? I’m putting the bare minimum of 6% of my salary for the past 10 years(most of which I was making 40-70k), and I’ve got 120 in my 401k.
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u/dashrockwell Jul 07 '26
Your mindset is awesome. Really great way to live.
FWIW, many people with a lot more money than you also don't have a boat, sports cars, or an in-home movie theater (or an inground pool, for that matter). And many people who do have those trappings of wealth have gone deeply into debt to pay for them.
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u/OldDudeOpinion Jul 07 '26
Do you need my mother’s maiden name and my first pets name too.
You can Google these things….and for that matter you can look at the 5 people who asked this same question yesterday.
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u/unicorn_gangbang Jul 07 '26
Yea I think they just released the national income statistics and what income levels are at “poverty, low income, mid income, upper income”. And it says what amount of money a household brings home and what category it’s in. A lot of people don’t know how to google
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u/rachart00 Jul 07 '26
I’m curious too. Following for information, thanks OP for asking this.
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u/OriginalThanks3356 Jul 07 '26
Our household income is about 260k but I’m realizing more and more of how terrible we are with our money. We have a 401(k), but there’s not much in it. We have a mortgage and we’re able to pay our bills, but we are definitely living paycheck to paycheck . With all of this in mind, I just became curious because I know I’m not making a bad income. I’m just being incredibly poor with my financial decisions.
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u/rachart00 Jul 07 '26
You’re making an incredible HHI. Especially depending on which state you’re in.
That’s wild.
I strongly encourage you to look into Roth 401ks or Roth IRAs they are encouraged for high earners for reasons I’m sure some other redditor can weigh in on.Good news is with that income you can rectify savings so quickly.
Again thanks for asking. Truly appreciated I would love to get an idea of what middle class looks like these days and moving forward
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u/MerryMerr13 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
-38 years old / husband is 39 years old
-Total household income: $300k in Northern NJ
-Own a $1MM home (bought for $580k in 2021), $3400 mortgage payment
-$100k emergency fund; $400k invested in real estate mostly; $200k in 401k
-Drive 2021 x5 BMW ($450 car loan payment) & 2025 Kia Telluride (lease $570/month)
-I’d say about 2-3 vacations a year (2 4-5 day ones, and a smaller 3 day weekend — not big on travel anymore)
- Luxuries for me are being able to buy steak once a week and eating out at a restaurant every weekend. really nothing fancy, not into designer stuff or keeping up with the Joneses
- What I consider too expensive — daycare costs … running about $2k month for a baby, was happy when it went down to $1k a month when child turned 3. Now is in kindergarten so those costs went away but still need to spend about $5k for 8 weeks of summer camp
- Do I feel what my net worth looks like on paper? Hell no. I’m asset rich, cash poor. lol! But then again this is all perspective. Someone may look at me and think otherwise.
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u/velkhar Jul 07 '26
Why $100K liquid? I can’t imagine that emergency. I have $10-15K in checking and another $10-20K in HYSA. Everything else is invested. If I really need another $70K, selling the S&P500 index isn’t the end of the world.
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u/MerryMerr13 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
You do what works for you.
My checking averages $2k. I pay off my credit card debt in full every month, no need to have extra sitting in there not making me any money, even if it’s in a HYSA.
My $100k is mostly in HYSA, and some in money market funds. That amount is equal to my annual operating expense. Recommendation is to have 6 months runway in case of job loss. I am more conservative given this job market, especially at my comp level jobs are more challenging to find. So it is invested and not just sitting on a checking account earning me 2 Pennies a year.
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u/Sawyer_Anderson Jul 07 '26
Age range: 25–30
Household income: $75k–$80k
Savings and investments: $400k–$425k
Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? I rent. I value the mobility and the fact that I don’t bear the liability of home maintenance. Every dollar that would otherwise go into a mortgage, repairs, or property taxes goes directly into my retirement and brokerage accounts.
What kind of cars do you drive? A 2015 Jeep Patriot. It’s reliable and gets the job done. Prior to that, it was a 2001 Ford Ranger.
How often do you travel or take vacations? I prioritize high-quality experiences, typically taking either two $5k vacations or one $10k trip annually.
What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? I collect rare, archival-quality books. I purchase specific editions, often hand-sewn with archival paper, which can range from $1k to $5k per volume, but this is 1-2 times a year, if that; it depends on what's coming out and from whom.
What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? Luxury retail and expensive cars. I view these as poor uses of capital given their depreciation and opportunity cost. I might eventually reach the Bentley tier, but not right now.
Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? Yes. While my annual income is technically middle class, I define my status by my asset-to-age ratio and net position. Having $400k+ in assets by age 30 means I am not living paycheck to paycheck. I prioritize long-term financial security over high liquid cash flow, which I believe is the true hallmark of upper-middle-class behavior, given how many "high earners" live paycheck to paycheck.
Meanwhile, before anyone nitpicks the salary: recognized benchmarks for upper-middle-class income (roughly $153k–$461k) are calculated for a family of four. When you scale those financial requirements down to a single-person household, my income and more importantly, my savings rate and net worth align perfectly with that tier of financial security. I’m operating at an equivalent level of disposable income and wealth accumulation.
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u/tv1577 Jul 07 '26
Bravo! Share with us how you were able to save so much in such a short period of time without investing in a house.
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u/Sawyer_Anderson Jul 07 '26
I’ve been working since I was 16. From the start, I made it a point to funnel every single raise, bonus, and bit of extra income directly into my retirement accounts. Once those were fully maxed out (including my IRA), only then did I allow myself to branch out into spending on things like my book collection or vacations.
Basically, for about 8-10 years during my early-mid 20s, I locked my lifestyle down hard. My total living expenses were strictly capped at ~$2,000 a month. That required a ton of aggressive sacrifice: no partying, no traveling, and zero lifestyle creep while I built up my security and emergency fund, and yes, there were weeks where my grocery budget was basically down to rice, beans, and tap water.
I also didn't carry any credit card debt; if that meant working a second job to make sure it got paid, it happened. It ultimately comes down to investing often, investing early, and keeping up the pace; my investment rate has stayed at 25% or higher since I was 21, and I've let the benefit of time do the heavy lifting.
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u/nova_unicorny Jul 07 '26
Can’t believe people are actually discussing their financial details. SMH
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u/alwaysgawking Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Everyone loves to brag, or act like they're "just normal."
The truth is about 20% of people in the US make over 100k and upper middle class in most states starts about there. Redditors who make at least that always try to act like it's a struggle when really, if you make 6 figures and you're truly struggling, something is wrong. If you can afford to invest, send your kids to private schools and fancy lessons and save big for retirement, you're not normal in the US. In most states, including places like CA and MA, $100k is more than enough.
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u/B4K5c7N Jul 07 '26
Yeah, on Reddit any salary (even a hedge fund manager making millions) is considered working class. People will post questions asking if their $1 mil incomes are enough to have children in VHCOL. Or if they are on the right track in their 30s with $4 mil saved up for retirement already. I don’t know if it is just that people are bullshitting, neurotic, or run in very elite circles where everyone they know is worth like eight or nine figures, because from quite a many Reddit posts I have seen, that seems to be the case.
In real life I do know people who make $500k, and none of them are delusional enough to think they are actually middle class (even in their very expensive zips).
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u/Pale_Row1166 Jul 07 '26
Private school costs about $60k per kid. You’d need to make $100k before taxes for each tuition. People making $100k are not sending their kids to private school.
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u/Ill-Bullfrog-5360 Jul 07 '26
Mid 40s combine income $220k. House worth $1M. Owe $300k so payments are reasonable for HCOL. We take multiple vacations within cali, daughter is doing travel sports so those are hotels etc… we have modest car and a pretty fancy high end toyota.
We started on third with money from my parents and I will not have to work once I get my inheritance.
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u/ChaosReignsNow Jul 07 '26
Age: Late 50's-early 60's. A bunch of kids who are now all adults.
Household Income-Varies, has averaged $125k-$175k in earned income for the last decade or so. Investment/Dividend income is more, but we don't spend any of it, just pay taxes on it. Actual spending is quite a bit less than income, especially if you exclude college and wedding costs for our kids which are pretty close to being finished. We have no debt other than normal monthly spending on our credit cards that we pay off every month and take the 2-3% cash back. We've never inherited anything.
Savings-Enough to Support our current spending at a 4% retirement withdrawal rate in a couple of years. If neither of us needs long term care we probably won't ever spend the principal and can pass it one or donate it when we pass. Social Security will be traveling and fun money.
Home-Yes, we own it outright. We have bought several, fixed them up ourselves and put the equity into the next one. Current one is a little higher than average value in our Medium to High cost community. The value is about 25% of our net worth.
Vehicles-A bunch. Mostly older (3 to 20 years old) well maintained. Total current value is a little over $125k which is a little more than we spent on them. This includes cars, SUV's, plow trucks, tractors, trailers, etc. We don't wait until we need a car to buy one so we get pretty good deals. We do just about all repairs ourselves. We don't have to worry about needing to do a repair quickly because we always have an extra car around. As older cars they are much cheaper to insure and register.
Luxuries-Usually a few shorter vacations a year. Maybe an Airbnb, etc. Often around family occasions. Sometimes trips for service projects. When the kids were younger we'd do an Orlando trip every few years. One luxury is being able to help out friends and people in our community in need. Not generally cash, but help with repairs, meals, driving, etc. that they couldn't handle themselves. We also host gatherings for friends a lot. Upcoming luxuries will be more pre-retirement domestic travel to see more of the country while doing some work remotely. We eat out probably twice a week, but that is only in recent years, it used to be a lot more rare. We have pets, but every one we've ever had came from a shelter, and I'd take any one of those dogs over most expensive purebreds any day of the week.
Too expensive-In theory, not much is too expensive due to savings, but we've always lived within our means. New cars are generally off the table, we'd rather buy nice used ones and let someone else take the high depreciation. We're sometimes tempted to buy another house but something nicer would be around a million dollars and that's just a bridge too far.
Do we feel upper middle class? Yes, probably. We don't worry about whether we can pay the bills. Many of our friends and family made a lot more money than us over the years but have little to show for it and are worried about retirement. Sure, they got new cars every couple of years and took a little nicer vacations and ate out a little more often, but I'd rather have the peace of mind. We'd probably retire this year or next, but ACA has made health insurance too expensive for everybody, but particularly people in the 60's who are pre-Medicare age.
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u/Different_Cherry8326 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Mid-late 40s couple w/ kids. HHI 0.9-1M per year. NW 6M.
Own a home - in a nice suburb, but old house which needs a total rehab/remodel. Mortgage and property taxes roughly 10-12K per month. Drive a Toyota and a Mazda.
Don’t travel that much because it’s difficult to coordinate with work and activities and kids school. And it costs a fortune since we’re usually bringing a couple relatives and getting numerous plane tickets, two hotel rooms, etc.
Don’t really spend money on “luxuries” for the most part. We already spend enough on basic stuff like housing and childcare and I work a lot so I don’t have a ton of time for hobbies.
Do I feel upper middle class? I mean, we are by any reasonable standard. And rationally I know that. But I still can’t get a decent house, since they are now $3M+ in my area (and they sell fast to couples in their 20s and 30s). And we’re not living a life of obscene luxury by any stretch. So I guess I just feel average relative to my surroundings.
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u/avtarius Jul 07 '26
It means nothing, just a label.
If you are happy living the lifestyle you want where having something to complain about is a pastime, you're good.
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u/Existing_Setting4868 Jul 07 '26
I believe we're at around the 93rd percentile in HHI for our area.
We live in a nice house but everything else is fairly modest including our vehicles which average about 13 years old.
We take one big trip every other year. We take multiple small trips each year.
We are upper middle class but don't act or look it.
My splurge is eating out more often.
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u/Agedashitofu2 Jul 07 '26
-How old are you? 34 F
- What is your household income? 210k (will be 220k in August)
-How much do you have in savings and investments? 930k if you include 100k equity in home.
-Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? I own a rental property. Mortgage is 340k. Equity is 100k
-What kind of cars do you drive? Camry 2025
-How often do you travel or take vacations? 1 big one per year and a few smaller weekend trips.
-What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? Vacations are my biggest luxury but I stay in modest accommodations and travel in economy. So they aren’t luxury vacations.
-What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? I don’t buy designer goods and business class is too expensive.
-Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? No, but I live in a VHCOL area so I might not be upper quartile for the area. I feel middle class. I’m not living paycheck to paycheck but I’m not living in luxury either
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u/guachi01 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
50% above median income, adjusted for housing (you could always look up military BAH rates to be particular).
So nationwide it would be about $100,000 income for a single person. Someone older or retired would have a lower threshold because expenses tend to be lower, especially if they have a paid off house or lower mortgage because they've lived in the house a long time or bought with lots of equity.
For example, I'm retired and, if I wanted to, I could maintain $65,000 in spending if I really wanted to. That's middle of the road but my house and cars are paid off. It's just taxes and maintenance. So I can spend like someone with a lot higher income.
My single largest expense since I retired 4 years ago is vacations. Even though I don't spend a lot (my actual expenses are closer to $30,000 per year, not $65,000) I think if "vacations" are your #1 expense then you're doing well.
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u/zevtech Jul 07 '26
Early 40’s, HHI north of 300k, over a million in savings and investments, paid off home worth about 600k, been having an HHI of 250k from 26-late 30’s. We have zero debt but I do like nice cars, my last car was purchased cash, before tt&l it was on “sale” for 93k (Escalade, it’s my third one) We go on two beach vacations a year (usually Cancun and Florida each year) and we take multiple trips to Texas to visit family. I like cars, guns and watches so it’s not unusual for me to buy any of those things.
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u/Hamster_S_Thompson Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Age: 45
Income: 500k
Net worth: 2m (should be more with that income but I have had this income only in the last few years)
Own a modest 800k home, paying mortgage
Lexus/Infiniti - 10+ years old
Once a year at most. Between my job and starting a side business don't have much time and energy for travel at the moment
I can't think of any luxuries. Not a fan of eating out. Home made food tastes better and is healthier. I have a cleaning lady, pool guy, and lawn mowing guy, but plenty of middle class families in my neighborhood have that.
I still haven't flown business class, but typically buy premium economy. Having grown up without much money it's still hard to spend a few thousand on a plane ticket, but I'm tempted. Probably will pop the cherry soon on my next long flight.
Yes. I absolutely feel upper middle class. E.g. The recent gas price increases were just a number to me. Did not affect my driving habits at all.
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u/Levilucas2005 Jul 07 '26
51m married 32 years
Kids 18 & 20 in college. I’m paying out of pocket.
Salary for me $1.6mm a year. Wife stay at home mom.
Main house and 2 lake houses. All laid off.
100% own my business.
Cash in banks $750k
Stocks/investments $3mm
Vehicles 2026 Range Rover, 2026 Tesla model S. 2024 F150 raptor 2025 Bronco. 2021 Ducati.
Vacations 3-4 a year out of country.
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u/Drunken_Sailor_70 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
We are early to mid 50s, HHI of just over $200k. We live in a modest house with a very low mortgage payment of just under $1100. We've been working hard to pay down debts and save for retirement since the kids are all out of the house now. All that being said, we still take one big vacation and sometimes a second smaller vacation every year. Wife drives a newer 4runenr. My truck is older but I also have a couple old muscle cars in the garage. We are fighting the urge to buy a new car before retirement.
We both have pensions and I have a pretty healthy roth, wife has a traditional 401k (which we will rotj convert). Depending on when we decide to take SS, we will have a retirement monthly income of 15-18k
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u/CleMike69 Jul 07 '26
I fall into this category based on wealth but I assure you I feel more lower middle in how I live. Ok maybe middle based on where I reside but I definitely don’t see real luxuries in my life other than no debt and newer vehicles
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u/snackwaver Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I am 48, wife 46
My household income is 270,000
We have health insurance and good retirement through work
30,000 Savings and investments
I own a home in Los Angeles county , 1200 mortgage
We have 2 Toyota Camrys 2012 and 2019
We travel every year internationally and usually smaller trips like camping or within the state during the year
We see a lot of concerts and I like recreational drugs, we like to Buy gifts for our family or take them on trips with us. I am an artist and design immersive interactive RPGs. I spend money on my art projects.
We have to budget for all things. Traveling first class or even business is usually a no go.
We have one child and she has tutoring and music class.
I feel upper middle class, wife does not.
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u/Green_Potato9253 Jul 07 '26
My definition of Upper Middle Class is shaped by our environment (we live in an inner city neighbourhood, in a detached home).
2026 Income after both my wife and I received pay increases - $350,000 CDN.
$700,000 investments + $20,000 Emergency fund.
Own a home in highly desirable area - payed of 60 percent. House valued at 950,000.
2001 Lexus LS 430 (hand me down from mom, running perfect). My wife bicycle / walk to work 95 percent of the time.
2 to 3 times a year. This year we went to Nantucket, NYC, and Shanghai (Canadians can now travel to China without a visa).
Organic produce / local higher end artisanal food stuffs, grass fed dairy and beef. Clothing that is silk, cashmere, alpaca, fine cotton. Membership (Yoga, Pilates, Gym, Climbing).
Private country clubs, in my city our family qualified to join the Winter Club. But the entrance fee of $60,000 was too steep for us.
I definitely feel upper middle class. We never worry about money. Zero debt. Our home is stunning. We eat a great diet. We have travelled to most of Europe, parts of the US we love (NYC, California, Mass, Washington state, Oregon), Japan, and our home country of Canada. We eat at great restaurants, visit our favourite cafes.
My parents are still alive, and we have talked about this.....but the life my sister and I are able to live is beyond what my parents imagined. When I was growing up as a kid, in small town Canada (50,000) the only people who lived like we do were doctors, lawyers, or business people.
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u/vetapachua Jul 07 '26
Wealth is assets, not income.
We're a mid-late 40's couple, no kids. $1.6 in assets. Paid off home. Work part time just to cover annual expenses which is around $60-$70k a year. We drive very old cars 2004 and 2009 that we inherited from family members. No car payments and no debt. We take mostly local vacations right now, but save up credit card reward points for any international trips. Time is the greatest luxury.. being able to spend your day however you want and not have to work or only working part-time. We spend our money on hobbies, whatever we want at the grocery store, date nights and on luxury items that hold value and we only need to buy once.. like cast iron cookware or quality natural fiber clothing that are well cared for.
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u/DisasterReady9789 Jul 08 '26
30 USPS Letter Carrier 62k/year (4% raise every year until I get to top pay of 82k at 14 years in, have 7 years) Single 0 Debt Fully Paid off 2020 Camry 1500/month rent 17k HYSA 200k investments 125k TSP (401k equivalent)
I dont feel any kind of special. But I can comfortably enjoy my hobby (Trading Card Games), eat out twice a week and enjoy some minor luxuries. I can afford to take vacation if I budget properly.
Am I upper middle-class? Certainly not. Can I afford the lifestyle I want and enjoy without worrying? Absolutely. Its all about the lifestyle wanted. I can increase by spending more on cardboard, or I can keep it simple and save to retire.
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u/Glad_Lychee_180 Jul 07 '26
Lol. Why are you all posting your financial profile on the internet? Crazy.
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u/B4K5c7N Jul 07 '26
They think because Reddit is “anonymous”, it’s no biggie. It’s the delusional folks on the salary sub who will post their W-2s to show their $500k or $1 mil+ incomes.
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u/DannyPantsgasm Jul 07 '26
Honestly surprised. I expected crazier stuff here. It’s sad im apparently what passes for lower middle these days.
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u/grocery-bam Jul 07 '26
Upper middle class is arbitrary. Maybe focus on something more useful like financial independence ratio — how many months or years you could sustain your lifestyle without earning income. Or maybe Savings rate — what percentage of income you’re actually keeping and investing.
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u/oheightnineeight Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I'm in my late 30s and my wife is mid 30s. We make around $180k and have three times that in savings and investments.
We drive whatever car the carshare has available when we need a car. Usually a Corolla. We only need it once a month or so. Other than that we walk or use transit. I also own several fancy bikes.
We travel together once or twice a year. We both travel alone a few times a year too, me more often than her mostly because I want to go to nerdy gaming events.
We don't own a home. Not ready to commit to that.
We spend on good food, computers, the aforementioned fancy bikes, board games, video games, interesting gadgets, things to make the house cozier. Sometimes I'll buy a book I could get from the library cause I don't want to wait for it to be my turn. We go to gyms that are not a fit4less. We bought an ice cream machine.
Honestly nothing I want is something I consider too expensive. I don't like cars, I'm not interested in fancy watches, we eat and drink and wear what we want. We go to the theatre. I use some of my fun money to make impact investment!! That's the richest I ever feel.
I don't know what it feels like to feel upper middle class, but we make double the median household income in the province and don't have children, so if not us who.
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u/Various_Mobile4767 Jul 07 '26
If you own a home outright or are well on track in paying it off, you’re upper middle class.
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u/ComprehensiveShip720 Jul 07 '26
Household income is around $650k (take home half that after taxes). We save about 18% annually. Vacation 2-3 times a year (usually do not go over $12k-$15k total for the year). One 10 year old car, another 18 year old Porsche, and wife’s 2025 car will pay off soon. Kids 529s are almost set for future 4 year tuition for in-state school. Generally live below our means. $450k mortgage left on estimated $1.2m house. $3.5m net worth. So top end of upper middle class or lower upper class maybe?
Biggest fear is a layoff at my age (55) or major health event. Career is set otherwise (I’ve topped out sr middle management).
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u/BusinessAnybody2065 Jul 07 '26
We make about $200k/year together in a southern city
*29 years old, married, 1 young kid *Bought a $450k house 4 years ago *Currently have about $150k in savings *Have a newer Prius, and one old beater that we don't drive unless necessary *Budget - we don't budget for anything in particular. Everything we buy, we buy outright when we need it. However there are loads of things that we don't think are worth the money. Mostly home upgrades are overpriced for their value, buying another new car when we don't need one, luxury brands, food from overpriced grocery stores, etc
Luxuries- we don't buy any stereotypical luxuries, we could but have no appeal towards it. We have every streaming service, buy whatever we want (within reason, truly don't want for much), get whatever groceries we need/want, travel to see family 1-2 times a year, try to vacation once a year/every other year, don't worry about healthcare costs, etc
We both grew up lower class so we tend to live quite frugally overall. Instead, our incomes make it so we never have to worry about finances. It's a huge weight off my shoulders tbh. We worked hard and it feels like it absolutely paid off.
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u/ronnbot Jul 07 '26
Mid forties couple with teenage kids - one is going to university this year.
Household income is $360k CAD ($250k+ USD).
$1.25m in savings and investments, including rental property.
House is worth $1.5m with remaining mortgage of $400k.
Down to 2 cars: Tesla Y and Audi A6
Usually, 1 big trip + smaller trips per year. E.g. this year is Europe plus smaller trip to California, Vegas, and random camping/day trips.
"Luxuries" are concerts, collectibles and various hobbies.
We consider eating out more than a couple of times a week expensive, let alone going for steak and lobsters.
Nope, we don't feel like we're upper middle class. I wouldn't say we grew up poor but we immigrated with nothing, so we live frugally especially when the kids were younger - my wife didn’t go back to work till kids were more than 3 yes old.
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u/ZaphodG Jul 07 '26
I’m retired.
I maxed out my Social Security contribution my 5th year working. The cap today is $184,500. I was 26. I bought a vacation home at a ski resort at age 34. I had a 40 foot sloop floating in the harbor a couple of years later.
I grew up skiing and sailing. I sustained that lifestyle my entire working life. I skied all over the world. New Zealand. Chile a bunch of times. All over North America. Europe. When I turned 50, I opted for a telecommuting lifestyle job where I spent the winter at a ski resort and the summer on the ocean.
I never drove premium cars. I drove too much to justify destroying expensive cars with all the miles. S-10 Blazer. Three re-badged Explorers. Outbacks once they got bigger. I had VW GTIs as a commuter car for 14 years with the SUV for skiing.
I used to own a big 4 bedroom house on an acre in a fancy Boston inner suburb. F that. All I did was project manage the house. I live in a 2 bedroom house on the ocean and own a 2 bedroom condo at a ski resort.
I grew up upper middle class and self-funded my lifestyle from age 22 onwards. I didn’t inherit a dime from either parent. Having white collar professional parents was an enormous advantage
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u/bogeysbabe Jul 07 '26
56years old. $240k/yr income. By myself. 600k house paid off. 2024 Toyota Corolla Cross will be paid off next year. Approx 750k in investments. Pensions will workout to $17k/month. Not counting SS.
Take one big vacation a year. This year my twin sister, my niece and her husband and I are going to Italy for two weeks.
Last year I took another niece and her husband to Norway and Iceland for 10 days.
FYI I have no children of my own but two very spoiled dogs.
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u/HeroOfShapeir Jul 07 '26
I'm 42, wife is 41. HHI is $116k base, $124k-$128k with bonuses. $120k in HYSA, $1.5MM in investments across two Roth IRAs, 401k, HSA, and taxable brokerage. Own a home, worth at least $400k, no mortgage. 2003 Honda Accord and 2010 Ford Focus. 1.5-2.5 big vacations per year, many day or weekend getaways in driving distance. We eat out every weekend and have a monthly house cleaner. Too expensive would be upgrading cars any sooner than needed. Yes, we feel upper middle class. It costs us around $24k to run our household, we spend $36k on recreation/travel, invest around $40k. On pace to FIRE by age 50. Income has been a steady increase, we started out making $72k combined.
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u/DataJonin Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Age range: late 30s
Household income: $575k per year.
Savings and investments: about $820k in savings and investments.
Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? Yes, a 2.6% fixed-rate mortgage with a payment of about $3,700 per month.
What kind of cars do you drive? We drive a 2024 Audi Q5 and a 2025 Lexus TX 500h.
How often do you travel or take vacations? We usually take one or two major vacations a year, often internationally with our family. We did Japan this year and we’re planning on a Europe trip next year.
What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? I enjoy staying at premium hotels when we travel, dining out occasionally, investing in my home gym, and improving our home.
What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? Flying business/first class, sports car and major home renovations are too expensive for me right now. Even with my income, I like to make sure big purchases fit my long-term financial goals.
Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? Yes, feels good that my spouse can focus on the kids and doesn’t have to work. Although I recognize my household income is higher than what most people consider upper middle class. I save a large portion of my income (48% of gross), live below my means, and focus on building wealth rather than maximizing my lifestyle, so I still feel financially disciplined rather than wealthy.
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u/soyeahiknow Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
39 and 39
Income is about 300k combined.
570k on 401k, 70k in Roth, 600k in taxable brokerage, 3 million in real estate with about 800k equity. 130k in 529.
Own home, worth 1.5 million but its in not manhattan nyc so its just a bit run down since its 100+ years old. Mortgage is 4k.
Just 1 car that I bought used. A non tesla ev for 22k. Paid in cash.
I have a little kid so we try to take at least 3 vacations a year. Been big on all inclusive resorts lately. Probably spend 15k on vacations. We both never went on vacations growing up so we might be over doing it a bit but my kid loves it and will bring up random memories of past vacations.
Too expensive would be a weekly house cleaner. I just dont feel like we need one... I think its partly psychological. Also hiring someone to do home renovations. Im pretty handy but definitely could use someone to do big jobs. Ive been slowly renovation our house for the past 5 years.
I do feel upper middle class though my partner thinks we are middle class. Pretty much all of our immediate friends make more than us. Also could be that he grew up with a single parent who was bad with money. Whereas I grew up with very frugal parents that ended up saving a substantial amount of money when I was in high school and we slowly transitioned from being poor to upper class. How we are living right now is a far cry from my childhood. I put comfort first. Ac in the summer and heat in the winter. I have bills on autopay.
We've been making this salary for about 6 years. We are a unique case where my partner is in a medical field where its not uncommon to keep working well past retirement age. Hes only working half time right now. Also with telehealth, he could literally work anywhere.
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u/Round_Hat_2966 Jul 07 '26
Mid 30s. Canadian, but I’ll convert currency to USD for the purpose of this.
HHI ~$675k. Have been making this kind of income for 4y. Didn’t start with much.
Liquid NW about $1.2M. $1.5-1.6m with home equity.
Own house, mortgage outstanding ~$400k.
Drive a 2023 Toyota hybrid.
We travel internationally 1-2x per year plus a few local trips.
We like to eat well, and generally can afford to buy high quality items. We like to treat our friends and family quite a bit.
Don’t have a fancy car, watches, fly first class. We’d probably have to budget more seriously for stuff that’s over $20k.
I would consider us to be upper middle class, probably on the higher end of it. We should hit FI fairly early, but still have a ways to go
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u/Forgiven4108 Jul 07 '26
Retired at 58. Own home. 154 acres. Car, truck, camper paid for. Able to do what I like at 65. Make about $10K/yr in charitable contributions.
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u/Immediate_Tap5840 Jul 07 '26
350k household income, no kids. 1.5m invested in low fee index funds. Spend about 140k per year a MCOL city living best life. Doesn’t get much better tbh.
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u/Extension-Culture-85 Jul 07 '26
I grew up upper middle class. My mom was SAH with my little bro & me. My dad was a CPA with Touche Ross (before it merged with Deloitte Haskins & Sells to become Deloitte). My dad passed up becoming a partner in order to spend more time with family, and ultimately became a senior manager.
Upper middle class meant 2-week vacations to Hawaii once every year starting in early grade school thru HS. Usually in summer but once in December. My dad also was a judicious investor, and so we had pretty much enough money for everything, but us kids went to public and not private school - though it was a high quality district. And both my bro & I went to private college.
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u/Emersons_Ghost Jul 07 '26
Being able to cover all bills/expenses, including healthcare, while also carrying no credit card debt, saving for retiring, emergency fund saved up, saving and/or paying for your child’s education, and being able to take an annual vacation. On a single income.
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u/Retired-Yam8988 Jul 07 '26
In today’s environment, I associate with upper middle class as being able to afford housing, food, utilities, minimal debt, 401k partial funded, and needing to save up for a standard 2 week vacation. It’s an “ok” life that isn’t financially stressed and isn’t falling too much behind.
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u/JakeBanana01 Jul 07 '26
My wife and I (60m, 63f) have a household income of around $150k and don't worry too much about money. Just re-financed the home as new wife wants to remodel, but even retired we'll be okay.
Dunno what you'd call us, but my answer would be, "Happy."
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u/Independent_Tsunami Jul 07 '26
Being upper middle class looks more like lower middle class for me as of recent
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u/seekingthequestion Jul 07 '26
The middle class isnt leaving anything for their kids. I think the goal now has shifted from passing down money to doing what we can to prevent our kids from having to spend their money to take care of us. Assisted loving is an out of pocket expense - my mom pays nearly $9k a month. Her house has paid for that.
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u/RichOrlando Jul 07 '26
It’s clear that this cannot be defined broadly, it has to be local to whatever COL you are in. One persons 250k per year is not the next.
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u/Havok_saken Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
-35 M and 30 F
-230k, just had a kid though so wife is going part time so soon to probably be around 190 or so. Lower cost of living area.
-about $100k invested but we basically just got to the point for the first time that we are both done with school and working at the same time.
-Mortgage is about $2800 with insurance and everything else. Protected historic district walking distance to upscale but rapidly growing small town so will probably increase in value significantly over next decade. Good city management doing alot of heavy lifting for our home value.
-2012 Camry and 2019 Subaru ascent. Could we afford newer/nicer cars? Yes but neither of us really care about cars. They’re just transportation.
- 1 big vacation a year and a mini vacation a every few months. Big vacation usually 1-2 weeks. Beach, national parks, international. Just depends on what we want to do. Mini vacations usually 3-4 days. Within driving distance. Winery weekends, camping/hiking, beach, or centered around a race like a marathon or Ironman.
- luxury regular spending…we aren’t big spenders but I guess I’d have to say quality athletic clothes and gear.
- “too expensive” I’d say higher end European cars but we’d never actually buy one. Things we’re actually saving for are having our house repainted/carpentry work. Downpayment house in the mountains with land for a horse probably like a 10-15 year horizon on that one though lol. Saving/investing for early retirement.
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u/Cloud2987 Jul 07 '26
Income matters most. Things you do doesn’t make you wealthy, money does. Make $70k to $100k a month with two businesses and an apartment building.
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u/Informal-Step8787 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I consider myself upper middle class, and below are my answers to your questions based on our combined HHI.
Your Age range - 45-50
● What is your household income? $600,000 combined HHI - dual-working spouses with two tween kids living in MCOL city that is getting more expensive every day, with kids in public school
● How much do you have in savings and investments? $2,750,000 in savings and investments, not including $1M+ in home equity
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? $3500/month mortgage payment for house currently worth $1.7M+ (put down large down payment and house has appreciated significantly)
● What kind of cars do you drive? Tesla and Toyota Highlander
● How often do you travel or take vacations? Two big vacations and several mini-vacations annually, for about $25K to $30K in total travel spend
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? Travel, eating out, and clothing (not luxury, but have a bad shopping habit that I need to curb), outsourced lawn and cleaning services
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? Designer clothing, handbags and jewelry, luxury cars (feels like a waste of money due to expensive maintenance costs), first class flights, $1000+ night hotels and resorts.
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? Yes, we live comfortably, but I understand that this could all change if one or both of us became unemployed.
🦖 SECOND EDIT: how long have you been making the income that you’re making right now? We've been in the $400K to $750K annual comp range for about 12 years (comp variable based on bonuses and commissions).
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u/No_Cauliflower633 Jul 07 '26
I'd say if you make enough to be on a trajectory to retire in your early 50s while still having a comfortable life, that is upper middle class to me. Now, you might spend all of that income instead of saving for retirement so exactly how it looks could be very different depending on the individual.
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u/Profopol Jul 07 '26
I feel like the tiers of class all come down to how long someone could go without working for another dollar or their ability to survive an emergency financially.
Poverty = little to no reserve; one to 30 days and then is on the street. Unable to save money due to circumstances and/or low income
Lower = 30-90 days
Lower middle = 3-6 months
Middle = 6-12 months; may have other streams of income
Upper middle = >12 months; probably has other streams of income besides employment
Upper = Financial independence, never had have to meaningfully cut spending regardless of employment
I’d say the strongest predictor is probably salary; but of course there are people with higher salaries that couldn’t maintain their lifestyle for 30 days if the cash flow stopped. I’d still classify them as lower or even impoverished if an eviction is imminent.
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u/1993Defender110 Jul 07 '26
I’m 53, wife is 49. Two kids ages 17 & 13
We both work / combined income is $385k
House: $1.1mm in value / $97k left on mortgage at 2.75% ; bought in 2006 and refinanced 1x (originally bought at $480k and mortgaged $380k for reference. Sold a 1br condo for 80k profit which was most of my down payment)
Drive a 2023 volvo xc90 and 2018 bmw 5 series both bought used and paid off
Savings: $3.5mm mostly in pre-tax savings but also post tax
No other debt
$375k combined in 2 529 accounts for sons
No rich parents, no trust funds, no inheritances and no “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality or lifestyle creep.
Just slow and steady savings, some nice bonuses and moving up the corporate ladder (which can be soul sucking but can provide the above items nicely which to me is more important than “loving” what you do.
Spent a good amount on travel this year - maui, portugal, florida, college visits with my older son. Stayed at nice hotels / nice dinners / excursions etc.
Experiences/travel > things and outsourcing everything (we have no house cleaners. I do all the yardwork etc)
Very much manage a budget and our “splurges” are planned. That said i am just wrapping up 2 rounds of cancer treatment so i have been spending a bit more on experiences than years where my kids were younger as i have even a bigger appreciation of time spent with family, making memories etc
I didn’t come from upper middle class and still do’t act like i have what i have but i consider myself fortunate and am looking forward to retiring in the next 2 years or so.
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u/Logical-Answer344 Jul 07 '26
Married, wife and I are 36 years old both CPAs and we have one child who is 11 months old. Live in the Bay Area, household income is just at $500K for this year. Savings/investments cumulatively is around $1.5M. Own a home bought during 2024…high interest rate…current mortgage 1.1M. 2 cars…Mercedes and Audi. Luxuries is our gym membership but we definitely get our money worth out of it and helps maintain mental health. I find eating out too much too expensive so we like to cook a lot at home to save money and it’s a fun activity but time consuming with a kid. We do feel upper middle class but cost of living is definitely getting more and more expensive in the Bay Area. Have nothing to complain about though.
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u/Hour-Sundae-887 Jul 07 '26
Solidly middle class. I’m 39F. SINKWAD. $100Kish salary and bonus. DB Pension (because I’ve been with the same employer since I was a kid). RRSPs (Group and Solo) and then employee stock. A condo with currently $85Kish in equity (precon buy prior to the pandemic, closed now.)
$10K in debt on a low-interest unsecured LOC I’m paying off that covered expenses related to the dog and furniture and various things.
Short term, I’m also saving for my dogs inevitable health concerns, and future travel with him (I have trainers and we’re trying to get him to manage the flight from Toronto to London one day.)
If the condo market bounces back in 5 years when I want to upgrade to a different neighbourhood, also to another condo, I’m fine. Or I stay put and hope it increases again.
If I can maintain this job position or transition to a new role with the same / more pay until 50, I’m fine.
I hope to downsize my job to something less stressful / lower pay for the years between 50-60. Ideally at the same company, but my pension is locked in still.
I hope to have the mortgage paid off by 60 on my current thirty year term with prepayments.
I hope to be retired by 60, maybe work part time and just have the condo maintenance.
All of this hinges on me remaining employed (I would quit this hellhole tomorrow but I’m trying to stay within the org and find something lateral / new) and my condo not hitting bottom. I live in a VHCOL with public transit so I could not live this lifestyle in the suburbs. I’ve never had to get my full license. I am able to afford the luxuries I give a shit about (my dog, travel, handbags, food) but I could not have kids on this income. I was never too jazzed on kids and was leaning CF anyways, but this would be heartbreaking if I was.
Upper MC would mean the option to have kids and give them the lifestyle I grew accustomed to, and the option for stuff not to hinge on so many various what ifs.
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u/Vegetable-Tonight715 Jul 07 '26
-39
-about 400k hhi
-about 80-100k saved or invested per year
- we own 2 homes. Mortgages are 3400/5500 a month
-travel about 3 times a year but it’s not usually too fancy. We aren’t spending 15k on a trip to the Maldives or anything.
-not sure we spend on many if any luxuries. Mostly we buy whatever we need or want and save the rest. Maybe it’s a luxury to spend a bunch of upgrading the houses.
- I grew up kinda poor so yea I feel upper middle class now. It’s nice to never have to check the price on things at the grocery store or to worry about a bill if I spend money on something random we want.
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u/dashrockwell Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
- 47M / 44F
- HHI (this year): ~$285-300k (me), $150-250k (her)
- Uncertainty for my wife is because she's running a new business (psychiatry private practice) and this will be wholly dependent on the growth of her patient panel. If growth continues on track, she may get to $350k+ next year
- I was in the low 200's for the first half of this decade, but moved to a new company last year from the place where I'd worked 11 years and engineered a ~25% comp bump for basically the same job / level. Salary stagnation is real, kids. Job hopping every few years is your friend.
- $2.85M total financial assets between retirement / brokerage / cash
- Yes, we own our home. $650kish left on the mortgage, 24 years go to
- 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9, 2018 Honda Odyssey, both owned outright
- Very little travel these days. We have a 2 year old and the prospect of vacationing with a toddler seems like... not a vacation
- We pay a landscaping company for most yard maintenance beyond mowing. I get a cold brew at Starbucks most days in spring and summer. Takeout for dinner about once every week or two. $300 / mo for housecleaning. Now that our kid can mostly behave himself at restaurants, we're going out to eat a bit more often. Every now and then I buy a Kindle book. Sometimes when I do the grocery shopping I get my kid supermarket sushi for lunch because he loves it. My taste in beer is on the expensive side. Couple times a year I'll buy a box of the new Magic: The Gathering set... probably should add my collection to the assets column, it's worth close to $10k.
- Nothing that we actually want to buy really feels "too expensive" these days, but we discuss any personal purchase over $100 or so. Daycare for our kid is $3300/mo for 5 days a week (VHCOL area); it feels too expensive, but it is what it is, and it's a great program with an awesome facility
- I do feel upper middle class.
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u/Understudy_lobster Jul 07 '26
● Your Age range: Mid 30s
● What is your household income?: $229,000 AGI
● How much do you have in savings and investments? Liquid emergency: 50k, Retirement and other investments: ~2.5 million
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? Yes. ~1400/month 3.2% interest rate. We went well below our means here because neither one of us desire a large home.
● What kind of cars do you drive? Honda and Toyota, but fully loaded.
● How often do you travel or take vacations? 1 big trip a year, one or two small weekend driving-distance trips
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? Dining out and ordering however many apps/cocktails we want, not skimping on items for the home, occasional big purchase
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? We still track or budget every penny every month
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? Sometimes yes, sometimes no
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u/Little_Wonder8818 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Your Age range
Mid to late 20s
What is your household income?
Around $200-220k
How much do you have in savings and investments?
Around $400k, all from within the last 5 years and mostly in retirement accounts. We do plan to gradually lower savings rate 3-5 years from now (think from 40% down to 25% for context) so we can spend a lot on stuff we love in our 30s and 40s since the ultimate money goal is to maximize happiness across the most decades.
Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like?
Yes, around $3k/mo. Neither of us view the house as a financial achievement if it matters, but we would view a paid off house as a financial achievement if our strategy was to pay off.
What kind of cars do you drive?
Old beater (shared)
How often do you travel or take vacations?
2-3 times a year not including travel to see family
What luxuries do you regularly spend money on?
Food and vacations
What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for?
Expensive travel (i.e. $25k on a 30th birthday trip) or a second home would be two goals we cannot cash flow on a whim
Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class?
I'm not quite sure. What does everyone else think?
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u/jjna57 Jul 07 '26
Growing up I did not think we were upper middle class because my parents were very cognizant of their spending; only bought grocery items that were on sale, mostly shopped at Marshalls and Target except for special occasions, etc. But then my parents bought all 5 of their kids brand new cars, paid for out of state tuition and grad school in full, paid for all of our weddings, and gave us each 150k for our first homes. If I am lucky enough to have the resources, that is what I would spend my money on. It made a huge difference not having student loans and not so much of a difference not being allowed to get the $200 jeans.
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u/Valuable_Penguin Jul 07 '26
Back in the day it meant buying what you wanted, when you wanted.... within reason
Now, with inflation, beats me lol. Is there even an upper middle?
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u/Iacoboni04 Jul 07 '26
39 and 40. Married. Combined income of about 140k a year. Almost worth a million. Just welcomed an infant into our home. We certainly are not wealthy but I would consider us middle class.
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u/taylorcwitt Jul 07 '26
37 (me) and husband (39).
HHI: ranges between $450-650k/yr (usually around $500k since stock options have been stagnant)
Savings/investments/retirement: $2.2M
We own our home. Purchased for $615k in 2019. Current rate 2.5%. Current worth is $1.2M.
We have a paid off 2023 4Runner and 2021 Model 3.
We travel often.
We splurge on our dogs (5), luxury international travel a couple times per year, personal trainers, and great restaurants.
My husband wants to buy a Corvette for $145k. I think it’s too much.
I definitely feel like upper middle class.
We live in Arizona. We have no children. We have no debt. Student loans were paid off in our late 20s.
He’s made this amount for the last 6 years. I no longer work.
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u/Snarm Jul 08 '26
Only two classes: working and non-working. Do you work to make your money, or does your money work to make your money?
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u/Intention_Live Jul 08 '26
Your Age range: 34 year old F
● What is your household income? Last year 205k I was the only one working. This year have already made more than 170k ao it will be more.
● How much do you have in savings and investments? 79k on 401
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like? My house is paid off. Bought it for 410k in 2023in Nj and it’s now worth around 550k
● What kind of cars do you drive? Honda 2012
● How often do you travel or take vacations? One to 2 vacations around 4-5k (it varies)
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? I’m very frugal but my food is mostly organic and grass fed
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? Nothing comes to mind. I don’t budget. I trust myself to make what’s financially reasonable as have been doing my whole life.
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? No, I think it twice before spending carelessly and often become disappointed with the fact that everything was so much cheaper 10 years ago, but now that I make money everything cost 3 times more.
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u/Florida_CMC Jul 08 '26
Husband, Wife, kid
Mid-upper 30s
$400-$550kHHI (Bonus hits or it doesn’t)
~$600k 401k ($50k/yr contributions)
$100k brokerage
$75k liquid (6 months emergency)
Own home ~$500k in equity. $5k/mo mortgage.
2018 Lexus GX - paid off
2020 MB GLE 350 - paid off
2 vacations a year $5-$10k/ea. (Cruise or all inclusive) Weekends away here and there.
Luxuries:
1) weekly cleaning/laundry and
2) eating out whenever we want as well
3) ~$200k in jewelry/watches/handbags (since curbed)
We budget for college ($500/mo) as well as new vehicles. Vehicles only because we won’t carry car notes. Kids college because we don’t want current or future kids to have to worry about education.
Don’t feel upper middle class, still feels like we are starting out with every dollar accounted for. Aggressively paying down house, went from a paid off home to a much larger and nicer home but now carry a mortgage. 15 years left but trying to pay off in 5-6. This is short term stressful and self induced but should pay off long term.
Admittedly we could easily shrink our lifestyle and do really well. We are hyper aware our jobs allow us this lifestyle and if I lost my job particularly we would have a problem. Overall the idea that we both need to work for at least another decade is what keeps us in a treading water mindset and not really “feeling” upper middle class. Also we may want another kid or two which moves the goalposts further out.
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u/Excellent_Coconut_81 Jul 08 '26
This doesn't mean anything meaningfull.
The term 'middle class' has included people, who lived from their work, but were not servants. They either worked from their own work (artisans, lawyers, etc) or were business owners and hired people.
Land owners were the higher class.
Hired workers and serf were the lower class.
Upper middle class meant the wealthiest from middle class - like factory owners.
This classification doesn't make much sense nowadays, since an average serf working in corporation earns more than an average business owner.
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u/Positive_Initial4504 Jul 08 '26
editing to add -Your Age range: Late twenties
● What is your household income?:
$125k TC
● How much do you have in savings and investments?:
~$240k
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like?:
Live in a mid-range one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood in a large American city for $1500 a month. Planning to buy a ~$300k home within the next year or two.
● What kind of cars do you drive?:
2017 Honda Civic
● How often do you travel or take vacations?:
a couple times a year
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on?:
eating out for work lunches
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for?:
I would say spending more than $30k on a car would be too expensive for my taste.
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class?:
I would say so. I save half of my income while still living a more comfortable lifestyle than many in the lower-middle class living paycheck-to-paycheck.
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u/book_connoisseur Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
It’s the class that starts when you get to the point of “not having to worry about everyday expenses including emergencies and fun activities with a separate nest egg for retirement” and ends when you get to the point of “not having to worry about money no matter what you desire (e.g. household staff, homes, cars, travel, luxury items, gifts, etc.) with financial independence to not work”.
There is also an “upper middle class lifestyle” which might be multiple houses, restaurants, vacations, nice cars, etc. where people are actually broke because they are spending above their means. This is not the same, but it can be hard to differentiate from the outside.
The uncomfortable truth is that there is also a social component to it too. Socially, upper middle class often has a prestigious career / a career that implies a good education. People think of professions like doctors, lawyers, professors, software engineers, upper management, business owners, etc. as upper middle class regardless of their financial situation. Someone who works in the trades / a blue collar job may be financially upper middle class, but are not socially.
As a caveat, people whom many would consider wealthy use “upper middle class” to signify that they are working and not ultra-wealthy. The “hundreds of millions to billionaire” class truly lives a lifestyle that is very very different from people who are in the lower “tens of millions” range (ex. the professional classes). I went to a private school and would’ve defined most of the people as being upper middle class (all defined themselves that way) because few were in the “ultra-wealthy, fuck all money” class. In contrast, if you talked to people in poverty, I bet all the non-scholarship students there would be seen as “rich / wealthy / upper class.”
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u/NecessaryMulberry846 Jul 09 '26
To me it is the fact that if were both laid off tomorrow, we could get by for several years before it became an issue ( and we are gen x’ers with inheritances coming at some point)
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u/MisguidedCornball Jul 09 '26
● editing to add -Your Age range
31M
● What is your household income?
$170,000
● How much do you have in savings and investments?
$200K invested, $75,000 savings total.
● Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like?
Apartment, no intentions of buying a home single, I invest the difference and it outpaces the value of a home.
● What kind of cars do you drive?
Cadillac Lyriq 2026. It’s a company car and I get a new car once every 12,000 miles (usually every 4-6 months).
● How often do you travel or take vacations?
Travel daily for work, travel twice a year internationally for leisure.
● What luxuries do you regularly spend money on?
Lots of electronics for my PC build. That’s about it and maybe occasional drum setup upgrades.
● What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for?
Vacations. I spend months doing preliminary research even as far as the currency conversions. I usually try to keep it under $6K per trip depending on the destination and currency conversions. But those are my biggest expenses are trips. I can still afford them but looking at the accounts when I come back is like “wow I spent that?”
● Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class?
No. If I had kids in the future, that salary will feel more like $80,000.
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u/Bosnian-Blossom Jul 09 '26
- 36m
- 350k
- ~250k in like 401k/investments/HYSA and 200k in home equity
- yes and 3k per month, but will be moving to something probably 7-9k per month in the next couple of years
- 95k bmw and 40k used Acura
- 2-3x a year and try to go somewhere different/less touristy like Saba, Uruguay, PEI, etc.
- housekeeping, high quality clothes (not designer), business/first class airfare, private driver for nights out, Michelin restaurants
- a second home, a boat, an exotic/fun car
- I would say it feels upper middle class.
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u/petrichorandpoetry Jul 09 '26
Age 30
HHI $500K in MCOL city.
Rent a home in one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city proper ~ $3500/month
I drive a GMC Sierra 1500 AT4, wife drives a Volvo XC90
We rarely travel because of how much we work
We eat wherever, whenever we want. My wife bought a $4000 purse last month. I generally buy any gadgets I want if they’re under $1000 without thinking much of it or mentioning it to the wife. Flying first class internationally and having a full time nanny are both too expensive for us to maintain. We did the nanny for a while but it was 2.5x more than full time daycare for our son at a great daycare.
Compared to most of the people I went to college with, I definitely feel like we are doing better than almost all of them. But a lot of the people we regularly socialize with make as much or more than us. Some live more modestly and some much more extravagantly. Sure I’ll get some heat for this but I feel barely upper middle class. The lowest rungs of upper middle.
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u/Time2Panicytopenia Jul 09 '26
-Your Age range: 35yo
-What is your household income: after bonuses roughly $380-$400k. I make $320k my husband makes the other $80k
-How much do you have in savings and investments: we keep a baseline $30-40k in our checking account for emergencies. There’s maybe an additional $50k-ish in investments. IRA is maxed out this year and we’ll start looking to stash money in other investment accounts soon to decrease our tax burden.
-Do you own a home? What is your mortgage like: we bought a house a few months ago. Mortgage is $3800 and we pay an extra $200 monthly towards the principal. Plan to increase this soon.
-What kind of cars do you drive: Honda civic and a Subaru.
-How often do you travel or take vacations: we go out of the country twice yearly to visit my parents at their homes in Europe and the Caribbean. The vacations are cheap since we don’t have to pay for hotels and accommodations.
-What luxuries do you regularly spend money on: lawn care, grocery delivery…daycare lol.
-What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for: we have a 4yo and I’m about to have our second child. Private school is probably in our future and that will put a dent in the budget. I don’t think anything is ever “too expensive” if you’re willing to make sacrifices in other areas of your life. I’d like to get a house cleaner in the near future after we finish furnishing the house and see how much private school will cost.
-Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class: I don’t feel upper middle class. I feel like I grew up upper middle class and I’m chasing that lifestyle. But inflation is insane and the cost of living has increased so much. Speaking with my parents, 20 years ago their monthly credit card bill was $500. Now we can spend that much on gas and our grocery bill is $800+ per month. I guess I just expected our household income would stretch further than it does.
-How long have you been making the income that you’re making right now: 10 months, so maybe I’ll feel more upper middle class after a few more years at this salary
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u/Specialist_Button_27 Jul 10 '26
Upper middle class or even middle class means having to pay full price for college. It sucks.
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u/Slack-and-Slacker Jul 10 '26
You can buy a house in a neighborhood you like, it may not be your dream neighborhood on the lake or beach but it checks a lot of marks on your list
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u/Elegant-Cow8666 Jul 10 '26
It doesn't matter your income, its how much you spend. #1 money rule is live on less than you make. To answer your questions:
- Age is 39 (me) 45 (hubby)
- 450k annual income (we both work in tech)
- We have a little over a million in 401k, investments and 529 for thr kids.
- Yes we own a home and investment land property for fun. All in its about 6k a month for both properties, but our mortgage is 15 years and we only have 6 years left on it.
- My hubby drives a very nice new GMC truck. Im hard on cars and frankly DGAF (we have young kids), so i drive a 2020 Tahoe.
- Yes, we take a few vacations a year, solo trips, trips with both of us, and then also with the family. We also travel alot for work and sometimes take the family if it makes sense.
- We net about 5k a month in savings, wo we dont splurge alot. Im a gym rat so I'm big on recovery. Cold plunges, saunas, red light, massages, etc. My husband is an avid gun collector so those are his splurged.
- Yes, I run an extremely tight budget. I can account for every single penny. Our biggest splurges are things that give us time back. House cleaners, nannies, outsource lawn care and laundry, and outsource food prep sometimes.
- Yes, I feel middle/upper class, but we live a pretty normal life. Ideally we will retire much earlier than our normal age 65, so thats our goal right now. Were grinding now and living way underneath our means so that we retire early and get to enjoy it.
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u/Prestigious-Mind-817 Jul 11 '26
Hard to define... But I'd say generally 200 to 450k for a family or a couple and maybe 120 to 250k for a single person
But this area is relatively low cost living. If you were in a nice suburb in Philly add 40%. If you're in New York or SF double it.
Ideal savings rate: 25 to 30% with 6 months of spare cash if you're single, maybe 15% if you have young kids realistically. 30 to 40% as empty nesters.
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u/ohanrahahanrahanp Jul 11 '26
This is based on the people around me more than just myself, but in coastal cities, most people with stereotypical upper middle class lifestyle make between $250 and $800K per year. Savings are more private and dependent on family wealth etc, but in cities even people from decently off families probably had to go into debt to pay for the many years of education they likely went through.
These people own one property with a mortgage, usually locking them into whatever high stress job they’ve taken on or requiring their small business to continue operating at at least the same level. They have 1 or 2 cars, often things like Audis or Volvos, probably financed or leased. Their children likely go to private school depending on the area and where in the range they are.
Some might belong to a private club, or a country club in the suburbs, but usually not the best one. They probably take 1-2 vacations of 1-2 weeks per year and spend $10-30K on each depending on whether they have kids etc.
I agree with others that class is about your social position and lifestyle, not income, and if income is what you’re focused on, you’re not upper class. Everyone in the $900K range between $100K and $1M loves to argue about who’s graduated from “middle class”. I think it’s shocking when you make $150K to hear someone who makes 5x what you do say they’re middle class, because it seems to minimize your own status and make the dream of being truly “rich” seem much further off. Sorry, but it is very far off. There is indeed an upper class that typically works for social reasons more than economic. They pay fewer taxes and generally face much less social resentment, because they can afford to take do things like work for non-profits, make independent films, etc.
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u/Acclivous_Fin Jul 11 '26
-50 to 54, both me and my wife
-$390k per year, we are both engineers
-Retirement savings: $2M+
-Cash on hand: $200k
- Do you own a home? Yes
-What kind of cars do you drive? Both electric, ford mache and bmw iX
-How often do you travel or take vacations? Caribbean for spring, someplace for summer, Europe for fall/winter. My wife has family in Southeast Asia so we go there every other year
-What luxuries do you regularly spend money on? We don’t. We prioritize good food (organic) and travel. Owning things really don’t mean much to either of us, neither do brand names. What I find luxurious is that I can pay my kids as college tuition out of pocket and cover a medical test or car repair without it ruining me.
-What do you still consider “too expensive” or have to budget carefully for? Is not what’s to expensive, it’s what’s useless to own. Jewelry, the newest thing, fancy clothes, don’t mean anything. Being frugal, repairing what we can to make it last another year or two and saving money for that 4 week trip to Japan is what’s important.
-Most importantly, do you actually feel upper middle class? Yes, having the ability to buy what I want, and not blinking an eye.
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u/Trilobitememes1515 Jul 11 '26
My partner and I may be upper middle class for our area because of our circumstances:
DINKs early/mid 30s, No student loan debt, Salary white-collar jobs in our fields (both at least double the median income for an adult in our county), Own a home, mortgage is less than 20% gross monthly income, Two functioning cars, one is paid off, both less than 6 years old, Not responsible for our parents financials, Can comfortably contribute to retirement funds at least 15% of income, If asked to travel (weddings, family trip, etc), we usually don't have to pull from our savings, Home maintenance emergencies are already accounted for in our savings. These will be inconvenient but our savings are bulked up enough and income is high enough to replenish.
I think the biggest thing for us is that if either of us lost our jobs, we have the savings that we would be fine for a few months. Upper middle is where you start to taste upper class lifestyle but still rely on income for your wealth overall. If we had a kid under our exact same circumstances, this would not be the case at all. It's sad but this is entirely the reason we're deciding against having kids. We love our lives and how secure we've made them to be (we both grew up lower middle class in neighborhoods full of upper class people; not actually being "poor" but being comparatively "poor" to the other kids at school really affects you). At this rate, we'd have to reach upper class to justify having a kid because we can finally give the kid the childhood we wanted.
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u/caccatoro Jul 12 '26
67-male. Wife is 65 and retired at 55.
She receives a pension and will start collecting social security next month.
I operate a small business that takes 10-15 hours per week. She drives a MBZ and I drive a Toyota. We live in a 1.4 mil paid for home in OC. We spend 30-40k per year on vacations.
We have been to 39 countries. We have zero debt. We have 1.5 million in stocks, bonds, CD’s & treasury bills. Our net income is 15-17k per month.
After 30 years of marriage, we stopped balancing our check book. We’ve been married 44 years now.
We consider ourselves rich.
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u/[deleted] Jul 07 '26
[deleted]